He has been an icon of sprinting for more than two decades and now Kim Collins, the 2003 100-meters world champion, is planning to hang up his spikes at the end of this summer’s IAAF World Championships in London, England.
Collins, who turns 41 in April, is the oldest man to ever win a World Championship 100 meters medal. He has won five medals in 10 appearances at World Championships.
Collins is testimony to the statement that one gets better as one gets older as his times kept imrtpoving with age. His personal best time of 9.93s was set in 2016 at the age of 40. But, after suffering a series of injuries prior to the Olympic Games in Rio last summer, and during this past indoor season, the enigmatic Collins has decided that the time has come to call an end to his athletics career.
“I think London will be my last. My oldest son now is 19. The kids are growing. But it’s been great for the younger generation as it shows that if you take care of your body, you can have a long-lasting career. I’m making sure my body is healthy, I’m eating right and getting a lot stronger in the gym which many years ago I didn’t do. My body is getting a lot stronger and more flexible which helps me perform to the best of my ability and not get injured,” Collins said
Collins first competed at the World Champions in Gotenberg in 1995 as a member of his country’s relay squad. However, his recollection of Athens in 1997 were not so memorable. “In ’97 when I came back I had a small injury. I ended up running 21 seconds for the 100m. It’s the slowest 100m ever run!,” he said.
